Less Than A Week To Go!

The Bristol Anarchist Bookfair is the South West’s best one stop shop for radical social change. A classic catch-up party for veteran anarchists and a great way to make friends if you’re new to the city, or simply anarcho-curious. A mini festival of ideas, with lashings of vegan cake.

We’ve got over 34 stalls where you can get face to face updates on all the latest Bristol campaigns and organisations, from Palestine Solidarity to the Anarchist Federation. The local Antifacsists to the IWW. Meet some legendary alternative media crews- the Bristol Cable, Consented and Strike Magazine will all be in attendance. Seven of the country’s best anarchist book distributors will be bringing you new releases to snuggle down with as the nights draw in, but we’re not just about the literature.

This year we’re particularly chuffed with our workshops, with sessions from crews doing groundbreaking work around the UK and beyond. The St Werburghs Community Centre and its extended environs give us a venue for loads of great sessions to run in parallel. All wheelchair accessible and with good acoustics so it’s easy to join in.

From taking on the advertising industry with Brandalism and tales from the front lines of anti fracking and worker resistance at the McDonalds strike, to first hand accounts from the team who occupied a runway to stop a deportation flight, it’s a great place to pick up inspiration in dark times.

It’s also a great space for tackling big ideas with experienced guides. We have the exceptional chance for folk to explore their relationship to privilege and learn about how racism functions in the UK with the Collective Liberation Project. There’ll be chat about the Why and How of Prison Abolition, as well as a workshop outlining your rights when dealing with the police and what a world without cops might look like. None of these sessions will be lectures, they’re about sharing experiences and learning together.

There are also loads of opportunities to sample practical skills, from free roped access climbing lessons in the park to the satisfaction of finding someone to help you fix your bike yourself. Try your hand in an arm tube blockade and have a go at printing a poster from a wood block. When you’re done you can kick back by joining the kids in a spot of personalised badge making, or catch a gem of a newly released film about the food system.

There’s a dedicated play space with alternative story time, crafts and games, as well as a session on parenting for social change.

There’ll be a feast of a vegan lunch available provided by the local social centre’s crack catering crew Kebele Cafe Collective, as well as teas, coffees and the annual greatest concentration of vegan cake in the city, all at knock down prices.

Whatever you’re into, the Bristol Anarchist Bookfair is a great way to stock up, explore and find folk to get plotting with. See you there 10.30am till 6pm, the St Werburghs Community Centre Saturday 16th September.